Today, the ruins of the city of Rungholt are located on the territory of Germany. It was reported to have been flooded by storm Grete Mandrenke on January 15-16, 1362. And among the “sins” of its inhabitants are drunkenness, impiety, and ostentatious wealth.

what is known

Legend has it that a life of abundance led to immoral behavior. The last, Christmas Day, came when a gang of young drunks forced a priest to give communion to a pig at a local inn. Instead, the priest went to church, prayed and asked God to punish these people. He left the city the next day, and soon a great storm began that wiped Rungholt from the face of the Earth. According to medieval legends, the sound of the bell tower could be heard from the depths of the North Sea.

New research has uncovered the remains of this “northern Atlantis”, although some historians have questioned whether the city really existed. Archaeologists from the Christian Albrecht University in Kiel found approx. 1.9 kilometers of medieval mounds around the islandAfter mapping the area using a geophysical survey, it is now known as Südfall.

The settlement remains hidden under the mud flats were first localized and mapped over a large area using various geophysical methods such as magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction and seismic.
Geophysicist Dennis Wilken of the University of Kiel talks about the research.

Among the finds are a harbour, the foundation of a large church, and drainage systems. There is still no information about the found objects or human remains. The researchers are working under a time constraint, as adverse conditions—saline water, for example—constantly erode the remains.